The invention related to a support for the fingers of the user of an AR15/M16 type rifle receiver and more particularly relates to a digit support used to fill a gap machined between the pistol grip mount and trigger guard of said receivers so that repetitive use of the rifle will not cause injury to a user""s third finger.
The concept of filling or covering the gap between the trigger guard""s rear mounting point and the rifle""s grip is known in the prior art. However, such efforts have been limited and are usually restricted to the use of gloves or projections fashioned on the grip that function to cover the gap. For example, the xe2x80x9cduckbilled gripxe2x80x9d by Alamo Sales in Huntsville, Ala., is illustrative of the prior art. The unpatented xe2x80x9cduckbilled gripxe2x80x9d features a projection extending outward from the upper forward side of the grip, immediately below the mounting base. This projection is rounded, gently sloped, and protrudes far enough forward to contact the trigger guard of the rifle""s receiver. In so doing, the gap between the grip and trigger guard is covered. While suitable for its purpose, the xe2x80x9cduckbilled gripxe2x80x9d prohibits a user from opening the trigger guard on the rifle and requires replacement of the rifle""s grip. The only other known methods of protecting a user""s fingers from injury from the gap is the use of gloves or packing the gap with a foam earplug and covering the plug with tape.
While the aforementioned invention accomplishes its objective, it does not describe a device that fills the gap and uses the trigger guard as an anchor to keep it firmly in place. It also does not describe a device that will allow a user to open a receiver""s trigger guard in the event a user needs to do so. In these respects, the digit support according to the present invention departs substantially from the usual designs in the prior art. In doing so, this invention provides a unique device capable of filling the gap between the trigger guard and grip in the trench machined in the receiver for the reception of said trigger guard while at the same time allowing the trigger guard to open and avoiding time consuming replacement of the rifle grip.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the prior art, this invention provides an improved digit support. As such, the present invention""s general purpose is to provide a new and improved implement that will cushion the fingers of the user of an AR15/M16 family rifle by filling the gap between the grip of the rifle and the trigger guard of the rifle""s receiver.
To attain this, the digit support essentially comprises a small plug which can be made of numerous materials. The plug body is generally a rectangular solid except with respect to two of the plug""s surfaces. One surface, the mounting surface, has a cylindrical concavity, designed to fit around the rear mount of the trigger guard. The second surface, the exterior or bottom surface, which would then face outward from the rifle, is slightly convex, with the convexity parallel to the line of the rifle when the digit support is installed. The general dimensions are roughly equal to the gap left between the trigger guard and pistol grip and the digit support is sized to allow the invention to interface with the trigger guard while at the same time allowing it to abut the rifle""s pistol grip. The exterior surface has a longer length than the other surfaces so as to overlap with the receiver""s trigger guard.
The invention has numerous advantages over the prior art. The first advantage is that the digit support is easier to install. The user simply inserts the digit support into the gap and leaves it there indefinitely. The digit support also allows the user to open the rifle""s trigger guard, which may be necessary in the event the user opts to use gloved hands. The duckbilled grip must replace the rifle""s existing grip and does not allow the trigger guard to open. The digit support is also relatively inexpensive and semi-disposable.
The more important features of the invention have thus been outlined in order that the more detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may better be appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims that follow.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a digit support that will protect the fingers of the user of an AR-type rifle from injury and discomfort associated with the trough machined in the underside of an AR-type receiver.
It is another object of the invention to provide a digit support that, when installed, will enable a user to still open the trigger guard of an AR-type rifle.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a digit support that it easy to install and remove.
It is another object of the invention to provide a digit support, the manufacture of which is simple and economical so as to keep the final cost to the consuming public low.
Other objects of this invention will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.